JP2006212244A - Carious tooth detecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect an initial-stage carious tooth in a subsurface demineralization state where the intensity of fluorescence radiated from a carious part is extremely small compared to that from a healthy part. <P>SOLUTION: This carious tooth detecting apparatus is provided with an irradiation means 10 for irradiating a tooth with light of a predetermined wavelength, a filter 14 for sorting out the wavelengths of light radiated from the tooth, an imaging means 15 for converting the light transmitting through the filter into electric signals, and an image display means 16 for displaying the state of the tooth from the imaging means as image information. The filter cuts out wavelength components of the irradiation light of the irradiation means 10 to remove reflected light of the irradiation wavelength and transmit only the fluorescence excited to a long wavelength side by the irradiation light out of the lights radiated from the tooth with the initial-stage carious part. This constitution displays the initial-stage carious part having the extremely small intensity of the fluorescence compared with that of the healthy part as a dark spot on the image so as to detect the initial-stage carious part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a carious tooth detection device capable of detecting an initial caries of a tooth in an oral cavity early, easily and safely with a simple configuration.

  Conventionally, this type of carious tooth detection device irradiates a tooth with a first radiation having a spectral range of 360 nm to 580 nm via a light guide, and a second radiation reflected from the tooth has a spectral range of 620 nm or more. In the region of about 620 nm or more, particularly in the region of about 620 nm to about 720 nm, among the second radiation intensity, the tooth carious portion is larger than that from the healthy portion. The carious tooth is detected by utilizing the phenomenon of being (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 10 shows a conventional carious tooth detection apparatus described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the irradiation tool 1, the radiation source 2, the radiation filter 3, the light guide 5, and the filter 8 are included.

FIG. 11 shows the spectrum of the intensity of the radiation reflected from the tooth when the wavelength of the radiation from the irradiation tool in FIG. 10 is 406 nm, divided into a healthy part and a carious part of the tooth.
Japanese Patent No. 1944198

  However, in the conventional configuration, although caries that have progressed to some extent can be detected, the initial caries in the surface demineralized state has a reflected fluorescence intensity from the caries part as compared with that from the healthy part. Since it was very small, there was a problem that it could not be detected.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can be easily, easily and safely detected early with a simple configuration in the initial stage where carious teeth can be restored to a healthy state by remineralization. It is an object of the present invention to provide a carious tooth detection device that can be used.

  In order to solve the conventional problem, the carious tooth detection apparatus of the present invention includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a tooth with light having a specific wavelength, and a filter that selects a wavelength of light emitted from the irradiated tooth. Irradiating light of the irradiating means, comprising: imaging means for converting light emitted from the teeth through the filter into an electrical signal; and image display means for displaying the state of the teeth as image information by the imaging means. The initial carious portion is detected by cutting the wavelength component by the filter.

  As a result, the light emitted from the tooth having the initial carious portion in the surface demineralized state includes the light reflected by the irradiation wavelength and the fluorescence excited to the longer wavelength side by the irradiation light. Most of the fluorescence emitted from the teeth is from the healthy part, and the fluorescence intensity from the initial caries part is very small, so it is observed as a dark spot.

  The carious tooth detection apparatus of the present invention can detect an early caries portion with a simple configuration at an early stage, easily and safely, and can provide a healthy tooth by appropriate measures such as promoting remineralization. It can be detected at a stage where it can be recovered.

  1st invention is the irradiation means which irradiates a tooth | gear with the light of a specific wavelength, the filter which selects the wavelength of the light radiated | emitted from the irradiated said tooth | gear, and the light radiated | emitted from the said tooth | gear through the said filter An image display means for displaying the state of the teeth as image information by the image pickup means, and among the wavelengths of light emitted from the teeth, the irradiation light wavelength of the irradiation means When the filter is configured to cut the component, the light emitted from the teeth having the initial caries in the surface demineralized state is reflected by the reflected light of the irradiation wavelength and the irradiation light. Fluorescence that is excited on the wavelength side is included, but the light reflected at the irradiation wavelength is excluded by the filter, and most of the fluorescence emitted from the teeth is from the healthy part. The fluorescence intensity from the Therefore, it is possible to realize a carious tooth detection device that is displayed on the image output means as a dark spot after passing through the filter and can be detected easily, easily and safely with a simple configuration. it can.

  In the second invention, in particular, the light having a specific wavelength of the irradiation means of the first invention is changed to light having a wavelength in the range of 360 nm to 420 nm, so that the healthy part of the tooth is excited to the longer wavelength side of 420 nm or more. Since the intensity difference between the light radiated from the initial caries portion and the light radiated from the healthy portion in the wavelength region of 420 nm or more is increased, a smaller area can be obtained. Even the initial caries portion can be easily detected as a dark spot, and a carious tooth detection device that can be detected easily and safely at an early stage with a simple configuration can be realized.

  In particular, the third invention includes the light source of the first or second invention comprising a light source that emits light of a specific wavelength and a filter that transmits light of a specific region of wavelength, and is included in the light source. It is possible to change the spectrum of the irradiation light according to the spectrum of the light source light and the filter transmission spectrum. Thus, appropriate irradiation light according to the caries level can be obtained.

  In the fourth invention, in particular, the irradiating means of any one of the first to third inventions is provided with white light in addition to light of a specific wavelength, and can switch between the light of the specific wavelength and the white light. With this configuration, it is possible to observe not only the initial caries but also the state of the teeth, so that when dark spots are detected other than those due to the initial caries (for example, the light of the specific wavelength is used for the teeth). In the case where a substance that is not excited and does not emit fluorescence even if it is irradiated on the tooth surface), it is possible to correctly detect the presence or absence of initial caries, and easily and quickly with a simple configuration. In addition, it is possible to realize a carious tooth detection device that can be detected safely.

  In particular, the fifth aspect of the present invention includes a recording storage unit that records and stores the image information obtained by the imaging unit in the carious tooth detection device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention. Since the history can be managed, the transition of the initial caries from the past can be compared and studied, and a carious tooth detection device that can be detected easily, easily and safely with a simple configuration can be realized.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, the image analysis means for analyzing the image information stored by the record storage means of the carious tooth detection device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention is added to the initial stage. The condition of the caries is managed with objective numerical values (area, depth, etc.), the progress of the initial caries can be determined and the treatment policy can be determined. A carious tooth detection device capable of detection can be realized.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, when the irradiation means of the carious tooth detection device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions irradiates the tooth in the oral cavity with light of the specific wavelength by a signal from the breath detection means. By adopting a configuration characterized by irradiating only the skin, it is possible to reduce the power consumption, and to realize a carious tooth detection device that can be detected easily, easily and safely with a simple configuration. be able to.

  The eighth invention is characterized in that, in particular, when the tooth of the carious tooth detection device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions is irradiated with the light having the specific wavelength, a light shielding means is provided for cutting off disturbance light. By adopting a configuration that allows only the fluorescence radiated from the teeth, which has a weaker light intensity than the ambient light, to pass through the filter, it is possible to easily and quickly with a simple configuration. In addition, it is possible to realize a carious tooth detection device that can be detected safely.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a carious tooth detection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation principle.

  In FIG. 1, an irradiating means 10 is composed of a light source such as an ultraviolet LED or an ultraviolet laser that emits light having a peak wavelength in a specific ultraviolet region, and irradiates a tooth 12 taken in or out of the oral cavity. . In the present embodiment, the teeth 12 are directly irradiated with the irradiation light 11, but a light guide means such as an optical fiber may be interposed. Radiated light 13 from the teeth 12 enters an imaging means 15 comprising a CCD camera or a CMOS camera through a filter 14 that transmits the excited fluorescence wavelength. In this embodiment, the emitted light 13 from the teeth is directly incident on the filter 14, but a light guide means such as an optical fiber may be interposed. The imaging means 15 is not limited to a CCD camera or a CMOS camera as long as it converts optical information into an electrical signal. The imaging means 15 converts incident light information into an electrical signal, and the tooth state is image-displayed by an image display means 16 such as an LCD monitor or a CRT monitor. The image display means 16 is not limited to an LCD monitor or a CRT monitor as long as it can display an electric signal as an image.

  The operation and action of the carious tooth detection apparatus configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, when the irradiation light 11 is irradiated to the tooth 20 (AA cross-sectional view) composed of the initial caries portion 17 and the healthy portion 18, the healthy portion 18 emits the emitted light 22 through the tooth surface layer 21. The emitted light 22 is fluorescence in which the irradiation light 11 is excited, and has a peak at a wavelength where the wavelength of the irradiation light 11 is shifted to the longer wavelength side. On the other hand, the initial carious portion 17 is in a state where the tooth tissue is destroyed because demineralization occurs in the tooth surface layer 21, and the irradiation light 11 is the initial carious portion 17 where the tissue becomes rough due to decalcification. The fluorescence excited in is scattered internally. For this reason, the intensity | strength of the emitted light 23 from an initial stage caries part becomes a very small thing compared with the intensity | strength of the emitted light 22 from a healthy part. For this reason, after the radiated light 22 from the healthy part and the radiated light 23 from the initial carious part are transmitted through the filter 14, the initial carious part 17 is observed as a dark spot as shown in the image display means 16. The

As described above, in the present embodiment, by emitting light having a peak wavelength in a specific ultraviolet region to the tooth, the tooth emits excitation light having different intensities in the healthy part and the initial caries part. By blocking the irradiation light from the light source with a filter and transmitting only the fluorescence from the teeth, it is easy to identify the initial carious part as a dark spot that appears as white turbidity under natural light and difficult to identify with the naked eye. It is possible.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation principle of the carious tooth detection apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, the irradiation light spectrum 30 has a peak at 365 nm, and when irradiated to the teeth, the excited fluorescence having the emission light spectrum 31 from the healthy part having the peak at 450 nm and the radiation from the initial caries part. Radiation light (excited fluorescence) having an optical spectrum 32 is obtained. At this time, by using a filter having a filter characteristic 33 that transmits 420 nm or more, the irradiation light from the light source and the radiation light from the teeth are separated, and the radiation light from the teeth is detected without being affected by the irradiation light. be able to. At this time, since the intensity of the emitted light from the initial caries portion is smaller than that from the healthy portion, it is observed as a dark spot through the filter.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the carious tooth detection apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation principle.

    In FIG. 4, the irradiation light source 34 is composed of a light source such as an ultraviolet LED or an ultraviolet laser that emits light having a peak wavelength in a specific ultraviolet region, and the filter 35 is composed of a bandpass filter having a peak in the vicinity of the wavelength of the irradiation light source 34. ing.

  The operation and action of the carious tooth detection apparatus configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, the irradiation light source 34 is a light source having a peak wavelength at 365 nm as in the irradiation light source spectrum 36, and the filter 35 is a filter having a transmission spectrum having a peak at 370 nm as in the filter characteristic 37. For this reason, the irradiation light from the irradiation light source 34 through the filter 35 becomes a wavelength spectrum having a peak in the vicinity of 367 nm as shown in the irradiation light spectrum 38. At this time, the wavelength width can also be made smaller than the wavelength width of the irradiation light source 34.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the irradiation wavelength spectrum can be varied by combining the irradiation unit with the irradiation light source and the filter. In particular, by reducing the irradiation wavelength width, a carious tooth detection device can be configured with an inexpensive ultraviolet LED without using an expensive ultraviolet laser.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6 is an overall schematic diagram showing the configuration of a carious tooth detection apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 6, in addition to the irradiating means 10 that emits light of a specific wavelength in the ultraviolet region, an irradiating means 40 that emits white light such as a white LED is provided to switch between light of a specific wavelength in the ultraviolet region and white light. The filter 14 is not used when irradiating white light. Since the wavelength of the irradiation light only needs to be switched between the ultraviolet region and white, a combination of a white light source and a band-pass filter or low-pass filter that transmits only light in the ultraviolet region is used. It is good also as a structure which switches light. The white light is not limited to the white LED, but may be a combination of RGB LEDs or a halogen lamp. Even if the tooth 12 is completely healthy, if the deposit 41 is adhered, the configuration of the irradiation means 10 and the filter 14 emits fluorescence from the healthy portion 18, but no fluorescence is emitted from the deposit 41. In this case, as in the case where there is an initial caries portion, the deposit 41 is output to the dark spot and the image display means 16 and there is a risk of erroneous recognition. Therefore, if the teeth 12 are irradiated by the white light irradiation means 40 and displayed on the image display output 16 without passing through the filter 14, it is possible to visually recognize whether the dark spot is due to initial caries. Moreover, according to the structure of a present Example, the observation of the whole oral tissue including a tooth | gear besides the initial caries detection is also attained.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 7 is an overall schematic diagram showing the configuration of a carious tooth detection apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 7, by providing recording storage means 50 such as a memory card, all information displayed on the image display means 16 is converted into numerical data and recorded. For this reason, it becomes possible to manage historical data of individual teeth and to compare the transition of the initial caries from the past. The recording storage unit 50 is not limited to a memory card, and may be configured to print on a photograph as well as an electronic medium such as a hard disk for a personal computer.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 8 is an overall schematic diagram showing the configuration of a carious tooth detection apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 8, the area and depth of the detected initial caries are measured by providing an image analysis means 60 composed of software or the like incorporated in a personal computer. If the record storage means 50 used in the fourth embodiment is used together, the initial caries progress or the initial caries by comparing and analyzing the area and depth of the initial caries from the past. It can be used as a reference in deciding the treatment policy, such as whether or not.

(Embodiment 7)
FIG. 9 is an overall schematic diagram showing a configuration of a carious tooth detection apparatus according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 9, an exhalation detection unit 70 is provided, and is configured to be controlled so that light is emitted from the irradiation unit 10 when carbon dioxide at a set concentration or more is detected. The concentration of carbon dioxide is about 0.033% in natural air and about 3 to 4% in exhaled air, which is almost 100 times different. Is possible. If the breath detection means 70 is installed in the vicinity of the irradiation means 10, when the irradiation means 10 is brought close to the teeth 12 in the oral cavity, the carbon dioxide concentration exceeds the set concentration value, and light is emitted from the irradiation means 10. When the irradiation means 10 is separated from the inside of the oral cavity, the set concentration value becomes the following and the irradiation is stopped. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of a power source (not shown) that supplies power to the entire caries detecting device. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the irradiation light in the ultraviolet region from entering the eye carelessly for a long time, safety is ensured.

(Embodiment 8)
FIG. 10 is an overall schematic diagram showing the configuration of the carious tooth detection apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 10, when disturbance light 82 from a disturbance light source 80 such as natural light or room light is applied to the initial carious portion 17 of the tooth 12, light in a wavelength region that passes through the filter 14 is also emitted. There is a possibility that the dark spots of the initial caries are not clearly displayed on the image display means 16. Therefore, by providing the light shielding means 81, the initial carious portion 17 can be observed more clearly by blocking the disturbance light 82 mainly composed of white light emitted from the disturbance light source 80 such as natural light or room light.

  As described above, the carious tooth detection apparatus according to the present invention can detect an initial caries portion with a simple configuration at an early stage, easily and safely, and promote appropriate recalcification. Because it is possible to detect at a stage where healthy teeth can be recovered by simple treatment, it is necessary to diagnose a large number of teeth efficiently in a short time such as school checkup, or the initial caries part as a dark spot Since it can be confirmed by images, it can be used effectively as an informed consent for patients as well as for establishing dental diagnostic criteria and treatment policy as a communication tool for initial caries diagnostic technology in dental education. On the other hand, since it can be confirmed with an image even at home, it can be easily applied to daily use.

Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation principle of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the principle of operation of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation principle of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 4 of this invention. Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 5 of this invention. Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 6 of this invention. Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 7 of this invention. Schematic which shows the structure of the carious tooth detection apparatus in Embodiment 8 of this invention. Schematic showing the configuration of a conventional carious tooth detection device Explanatory drawing which shows the operation principle of the conventional carious tooth detection apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Irradiation means 14 Filter 15 Imaging means 16 Image display means 34 Irradiation light source 35 Filter 40 White light irradiation means 50 Record storage means 60 Image analysis means 70 Breath detection means 81 Light shielding means

Claims (8)

Irradiation means for irradiating a tooth with light of a specific wavelength, a filter for selecting the wavelength of light emitted from the irradiated tooth, and converting light emitted from the tooth through the filter into an electrical signal An image display unit configured to display the state of the teeth as image information by the image pickup unit, and the filter cuts an irradiation light wavelength component of the irradiation unit among wavelengths of light emitted from the teeth. Thus, the carious tooth detection device is characterized in that the initial caries portion is detected. 2. The carious tooth detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates light having a plurality of different specific wavelengths in a region of 360 nm to 420 nm. The irradiation means includes a light source that irradiates light of a specific wavelength and a filter that transmits light of a wavelength in a specific region, and has a common wavelength region between the wavelength included in the light source and the wavelength that transmits the filter. The carious tooth detection device according to claim 1, wherein the device is irradiated with light. The irradiation means includes white light in addition to the light of the specific wavelength, can switch between the light of the specific wavelength and the white light, and does not use a filter when irradiating the white light. The carious tooth detection apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3. The carious tooth detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording storage unit that records and stores image information obtained by the imaging unit. The carious tooth detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein image analysis means for analyzing image information stored by the record storage means is added. The carious tooth according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the irradiating means irradiates only the tooth in the oral cavity with the light of the specific wavelength by a signal from the breath detection means. Detection device. The carious tooth detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a light shielding unit that cuts out disturbance light when the tooth is irradiated with light having the specific wavelength.

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